PROGRAMMING NOTE:  I was thinking about launching a live blog for tomorrow afternoon's game.  Anyone plan on being in front of their computer?  Well, you should. Remember, it's an early game, so make sure to stop by...

Blake DeWitt's back, which kept him out of yesterday's win in Milwaukee, will again put him on the bench.  There has been improvement, he told me, but there's still a little twinge.   "I told (Joe Torre) I felt good," DeWitt said.  "It's nothing serious, just some tightness."  Rafael Furcal, Torre certainly isn't going to take any chances.  DeWitt thought he'd be able to play Saturday afternoon, and Torre seemed to agree.  So that's good news.

Regarding Furcal, the news is also positive.  "We're thinking in the next couple days he'll start playing catch, and then we'll see how quickly he can progress,"  Torre said.  "The pain is gone and he's progressing well, but the original plan was to shut him down completely for about five or six days."  Should he be able to come off the DL when he's eligible (next Wednesday, I believe), Torre didn't think Furcal would need any rehab ABs.  Good to hear. 

I got back to taking the stairs, so if there was pastrami in the vicinity as I made my way down to the clubhouse, I was totally unaware. Beyond that?  Tonight was a good example of one of baseball's great truisms: There are a lot of times when from day to day, absolutely nothing changes.  Saturday night's pregame would qualify as one of those times.  The conversation with Joe Torre could have been Xeroxed from yesterday.  We opened with Furcal (not playing, more on that below), touched on Jason Schmidt's rehab stint tomorrow in Lancaster,   kicked around some Andruw Jones (with a little extra time spent on the subject, since TJ Simers was working on a column about him), and discussed the third base situation.  I half expected to see Ned Ryerson (Needle Nose Ned?  Ned the Head?) on my way back to the press box. 

I did not. 

As such, though, I'm afraid there is precious little to report from the park that you don't already know, other than again reconfirming that if the people over at Myoplex were smart, they'd sign James Loney up for an endorsement deal ASAP, since he sucks those things down like they could be banned tomorrow. 

There is no elevator (or, if you prefer, "lift") that requires more patience than the one at Dodger Stadium.  Whatever gerbil the Stadium Ops folk use to power that bad boy is sadly overworked, and thus I almost never take it.  Yes, I'm one of the few media people on the planet who routinely uses the stairs, in part to help justify the amount of eating I do during the course of the game.  My distaste for Dodger Dogs is well documented, but they literally give 'em away in the press box, and during particularly slow games I've been known to partake.  Plus, they have soft serve up here, and man do I loves me some ice cream.  Anything I can do to mitigate the damage is worth the effort, hence the steps.  But the other reason is that the freakin' thing takes so long, I just get tired of waiting. 

Today, though, the doors opened up as I walked by, so I went ahead and took the ride down.  One floor down, the thing stops, the doors open, and in comes something I thought I'd never see- an oversized dolly carrying nothing but pastrami.  Boxes and boxes of the authentic Canter's variety, destined I assume for the new Canter's stand that opened up at the top of the season.  I've never wanted to knock over a liquor store before, but after hanging out so close to all that deliciousness, I totally understand the compulsion.

Anyway... In other (more relevant) news, Rafael Furcal's balky (not Balki) back is still sore enough to keep him out of the lineup.  is still out.  "We're going to wait another day or so.  It's better, but it's not like he just goes up there and tries to put the ball in play," Joe Torre said.  "It's progressively getting better, and I don't want to lose that right now.  I think he understands.  He's too important for us to send out there (if he's not right)... It's getting better every day, and I certainly don't want to go backwards now." 

NOTE: Remember to join the live game blog tonight... assuming I can get the software working.

Scoops o' plenty Tuesday night at the Ravine, almost all health related.  I'll present them in convenient, easily digested bullets, starting with the item most relevant to tonight's proceedings:

• Rafael Furcal was a late scratch from the lineup tonight with stiffness on the left side of his lower back.  He tightened up in over the last three innings of last night's win, figured he'd be okay for today, but after getting some treatment and partaking in his customary pregame preparation, Furcal decided he'd be better off sitting this one out.  "He's been nursing a little bit of a stiff back," Joe Torre said.  "It doesn't seem to be something that's going to be a long term thing, but right now he is scratched."  The problem seems to be muscular rather than some sort of pinched nerve type deal, which is good.  Furcal did have some back trouble last year, but trainer Stan Conte didn't seem to believe it was necessarily a recurrence of the same issue.  It hasn't been a problem at any other point this season.  Conte said Furcal couldn't point to a specific moment in the game- a big swing or tough defensive play, both of which he had a few of last night.  With a day game tomorrow and a day off Thursday, it wouldn't be shocking to see him sit for a couple games.  The goal is avoid turning a two day injury into the two week version. 

As mentioned earlier today, Matt Kemp was named NL player of the week, in part because of the six steals he accrued during the previous seven days.  While the youngster has always been admired for his feet's fleet, he only racked 10 steals in 98 games last season (and was caught on five other attempts).  Right now, his pace for that same number of games would easily double that 2007 clip.  Even if he doesn't hit that mark, the kid's obviously running with more freedom this season.  "Kemp is certainly not afraid to run.  He's got a lot of confidence, this young man."  Of course, that confidence was often coupled with a fair amount of path gaffes last season.  On one hand, a player barely of drinking age is bound to brick some decisions.  On the other, a few of them offenses were repeated, which prompted some folks to question Kemp's ability to be coached.  I asked Torre if he thinks the kid is learning from these experiences.  "I think he's learning as he's getting more experience.  Again, he's gonna make mistakes.  But that's part of it.  Things are gonna happen.  But I think he's got a better feel for it."

I mean, for cryin' out loud, the mayor of Sikeston, Missouri dedicated the entire month of April to the guy.  You don't do that for AAA talent.  Thus, barely a day after he was sent down to Vegas, he's back in the bigs. Kid's just that good.  "I feel like I played a good game yesterday," he laughed.  "I was 1-2 with three walks."  An .800 OBP?  You don't just waste that in the bushes. 

I jest, of course, because we know that DeWitt was recalled to replace Nomar Garciaparra, who went back on the DL after suffering another injury to his left calf in last night's 8-7 win. So one night at the Sahara later, DeWitt is back in LA.  He didn't even unpack.  How long he'll stick around this time is an open question, but it won't be any shorter than a couple weeks.   In other news, the other guy who left Friday night's game early, Andruw Jones, is good to go and in the lineup tonight.  I present this neither as good news nor bad, but leave it open for you to interpret.  (Seriously, though, assuming the injury doesn't throw off his mechanics- more, at least- it's a good thing he can play.  Jones isn't going to de-slump himself on the bench.)

And I'm dying to find out, since it was part of a five-team parlay I placed with an online betting service.  Frankly, I was a little surprised to get action on a game involving no actual people, but like often noted, if you're willing to put down some cash, some bookie's willing to make it official.  But more important to most Dodger fans than the "results" of a make believe game would be how Schmidt did.  According to Joe Torre, Schmidt's 70 or so pitches featured a wide variety and went off without any hitch.  Another fantasy land contest will be needed before any formal rehab might take place. Torre was asked what he considered most important for the righty during these sessions.  "Just for him to feel good," nodded the manager.  It makes sense that they'd maintain "walk before running" goals, since loftier dreams have come crashing down during this recovery period.  "In spring training, we all got our hopes up a little because early on, he was throwing the ball really well.  He was using all his pitches.  And then all of a sudden, we had to shut him down." But even with the expectations kept tempered, it's nice to know that Schmidt's recent work hasn't presented any setbacks.   The real test of sorts will come in about 24 hours.  "It's probably more important how he feels tomorrow or the next day," noted Torre.

 

Blake of the same last name is not on the Dodgers' current roster.  The rookie third baseman was sent back to Vegas today in favor of righty Cory Wade, who'll be in uni for tonight's game.  The move had nothing to do with DeWitt's play and everything to do with Joe Torre feeling hamstrung by a pitching staff of only 11, especially after last night's game that required four relievers after Derek Lowe's quality outing was shortened by elbow tightness.  "With the need for a pitcher here, we felt we needed to do that," explained the skip.  In discussing the Blue's new hurler, Torre recalled his quality spring training.  More specifically, "how often he throws strikes."  Plus, the guy can eat some innings in relief, a commodity not in abundance right now for the Dodgers.

 

 

Why, one may ask?  Because the Dodgers arrived back at the Ravine to find Perfect Pushup packages in each of their lockers.  Yes, the same Perfect Pushup "as seen on TV."  One look at their website shows that everyone who uses this bad boy is ripped to the extreme, meaning that extra bit of the oomph the blue batters have been missing to muscle the ball around will be here soon enough.  Obviously, the results may not happen overnight.  But within a week (thinking conservatively), I expect to see every member of the roster, including the pitchers, going long nine out of ten at bats (again, thinking conservatively).

Full disclosure:  I'm not even sure why I'm making "Perfect Pushup" jokes, considering I actually own one.  And all kidding aside, they may not turn Juan Pierre into a home run threat, but it's no exaggeration to say they make pushups considerably more difficult.  It's seriously like night and day. 

For those curious, other informerical-ish products readily available in my apartment include "Easy Rock," A VHS copy of "Jerry Springer's "Too Hot For TV" (I'd been drinking), and in 4-6 weeks, the Malibu Pilates chair my girlfriend just ordered.

That is indeed Nomar's name in the lineup.

The sight of Mr. Mia Hamm's moniker on the card threw all press types for a loop, as word on the street was Friday as a target date.  The front office consensus, however, is that Garciaparra won't be any healthier in 48 hours than he is right now, so there's no real harm in tossing him back into the fray.  Throw in the bug going around Sin City and the team already wanted to get the third baseman out of there, lest he end up getting himself or the rest of the team ill.  A literal case of trying to ensure that everything in Vegas stays in Vegas, if you will.  In keeping with the theme of REVERSING initial expectations, space for NOMAR will be made by sending RAMON Troncoso back to AAA.

Ahhh, visual word jokes.  Who doesn't love those?

The Dodgers may have widened and improved the lower concourses, but the wireless setup in the press box is still awfully wonky.  Sometimes it's on, sometimes it's not, so I'm going to have to squeeze this bad boy in between the next outage.  No surprise that the pregame talk centered around Andruw Jones, as it likely will until he's hitting somewhere north of, say, his current BA of .100.  "You signed him and you signed him for a reason," Joe Torre said.  "I still believe that he's got to be the center fielder, and we've got to keep working at, trying to help him find what he hasn't found yet."  And in that respect, Torre is exactly right.  Bad as Jones has been, 12 games into the year it's far too early to declare him a failure and sit him down.  It's a long year, and the Dodgers need a productive Jones in the heart of the order, and he's not going to get fixed sitting for games at a time. 

Unfortunately, I don't have much time to dissect more of what Torre said in his pregame media confab, but it'll all be in the audio. 

The topic of Joe Torre's pregame talk centered a fair amount around both Andruw Jones' slow start and the extra weight he carried into this season, which may or may not (I'm actually voting for "may") have something to do with the aforementioned slump.  Torre contends that the Gold Glover's .114 batting average has more to do with trying to do too much and overthinking his job while at the dish.  Torre has observed his center fielder, as he described it, "swinging in stages," meaning a bunch of cuts too high, a bunch of cuts too low.  "He needs to get them together," Torre said. 

Regarding his CF's waistline, Torre thinks Jones hasn't been swole up for long enough to create performance issues.  "I don't think it's going to happen in April," Torre said.  "Your skills don't diminish to that degree."  For his part, Jones has maintained that his belly's growth hasn't caused the base hits to shrink.  "I don't think he's saying that just to cover his ass, so to speak," Torre said.  Couldn't the extra girth cause some mechanical issues, I wondered?  Not from where the Skip's sitting, with his bird's eye view of Jones' successful BP sessions.  "He wouldn't be able to do it in batting practice if it were mechanical."  Of course, Torre then noted how everything speeds up once the game starts, and that Jones has struggled when the velocity of pitches kicks up.

Which, again, makes me wonder if the weight is affecting Jones' mechanics.   

I only had time to drop by Dodger Stadium for a quick cameo, as BK and I are both needed for tonight's simultaneous Laker vs. Hornets contest over at the ol' Staples Center.  But I did want to keep the Blue faithful at least somewhat in the loop, so a little Joe Torre audio is coming your way.  It's a rather long link (didn't have time to cut it up), but I'm providing y'all plenty of time to listen before the game, so that's the trade-off. 

Some of the highlights include:

Thoughts on Nomar Garciaparra's impending rehab assignment and what they're looking for from him as he makes his way back into the lineup.

Andruw Jones is batting -- and this is not a typo -- seventh this evening.  Torre acknowledged the struggles the newest big-name Dodger is having thus far and hoped that the southward move in the lineup might help simply by allowing Jones to relax.  "Just to maybe get him out of that responsibility spot."  Although, as Torre noted, whenever he does that, it inevitably guarantees that player will end up in a bases-loaded situation.  I asked Torre about how he goes about evaluating the level of concern he has with a situation like Jones.  Basically, he doesn't believe in stressing himself out, but he's also not about to approach the matter in "hands-off" fashion.  "As long as you're being proactive about it and trying to find a way of being comfortable."

JakePeavy'sHandGate: He'll keep an eye on any ball tossed out (although he tends to look at them during most games just because he's curious why they got 86'ed) and will get feedback from his players.  But save a blatantly fishy situation, he's not one to put every opposing pitcher he faces through the third degree.  Plus some great stuff about doctored balls in general.  Very funny story about catching Don Drysdale during his first All-Star appearance in his hometown of New York.  He allowed Drysdale "wet one" to come off a fastball, which led to some struggles snagging the pitches on his part.  "I went back and said hello to the mayor three times," joked Torre of his subsequent trips to the backstop.  But Torre was the youngster and the pitcher/"Brady Bunch" actor was already a legend, so you do what he says.

Download joe_torre_pregame_4.11.08.mp3 (Joe Torre pregame)

AK      

The news came down this afternoon- three games for Dodgers third base coach Larry Bowa after his ejection/freak out/umpire bump/dumping of sports drink during Tuesday night's 3-2 win over the Giants.  While Bowa's basic compliant, that the new directive requiring coaches to stay in the designated coach's box is both impractical and hasn't been uniformly enforced through Spring Training and Opening Day, may in fact have a lot of merit, but I would question whether last night's, um, discussion with ump Ed Montague was the best way to handle the problem.  (Ironically, in the clip you can hear Vin say, "Easy Larry, you get into a thing like that, you wind up getting suspended."  The man's a sage.)

Well, if that's the case, Bowa's pregame session with the media likely did him very few favors: 

"It's ludicrous is what it is.  There's no due process.  I called him, no return call.  They don't want to hear the coach's side of the story.  For getting kicked out of the game you get a three game suspension?  That's a joke.  It's totally uncalled for.  You've got guys who tested positive for steroids, they admitted the took them, no suspensions.  I get kicked out of a game, and I get three games plus fined?  Bob Watson (MLB's Veep of on field ops and discipline czar) is very prejudiced against me for some reason.  I have no idea why."

He continues. 

Which, in the long run, will add tremendously to the coverage provided in our pregame reports.  In the short run, however, it cut down on some details I could share in today's particular pregame report, as the majority of my time before the first pitch was spent screwing around to little avail with the programs/technology needed to download these audio files.  Apparently, it works differently than the old (and now kaput) MP3 player we've used in the past.  Who knew?  Thus, I apologize for the limited copy.  I will, however, provide some insight as to Joe Torre's decision to start Juan Pierre (who as of yesterday was getting many a "fourth outfielder" label), in left, shifting Andre Ethier to right and Matt Kemp to the pine.  "I just don't anybody to be sitting for a while," explained Torre.  "I just want to get everybody some at bats early.  My goal, obviously, is to have everybody contribute.  I think we have too much ability not to try to do something here."

The force you felt was our entire Blue Notes readership shifting uncomfortably in their seats.

Okay, maybe not.  But it might be the only time he makes a headline on the site, so why not capitalize on an opportunity?

More to come (in this very post), including about a half hour of Joe-dio and a nice interview with Don Newcombe, but before the game starts, I wanted to get the lineups posted.  The lineups say everyone's batting .000, but I'm an optimist, and prefer to think of all the guys as batting 1.000.  That's just how I roll. 

GIANTS:

Dave Roberts (LF)
Rich Aurilia (1B)
Randy Winn (RF)
Bengie Molina (C)
Ray Durham (2B)
Aaron Rowand (CF)
Jose Castillo (3B)
Brian Bocock (SS, and one who was probably mocked a lot in grade school.  You figure out why.)
Barry Zito (P)

DODGERS:  Perhaps you heard Andre Ethier won the left field gig?  Well, he slides into the lineup behind leadoff man Rafael Furcal.  Looking at it, I think the Blue will put out what is the second best lineup in the division, and assuming Ethier, James Loney, and Matt Kemp are "as advertised," and they get a .270 season from Andruw Jones (as opposed to .228 or whatever), they should be able to put up enough runs. 
Furcal (SS)
Ethier (LF)
Kemp (RF)
Jeff Kent (2B)
Andruw Jones (CF)
Russell Martin (C)
James Loney (1B)
Blake DeWitt (3B)
Brad Penny (P)

By the way, I hope you get a chance to watch some of the pregame activities, where they're bringing out different players, in uniform, from across the 50 year history of Dodgers baseball in Los Angeles. Very, very cool, and the players are all getting standing ovations from the crowd.  Talking to Mr. Newcombe (he asked me to call him Don... but really, Don Newcombe has earned a Mr. Newcombe from an idiot like me) before the game, it was clear that being back in a Dodgers uniform, even if for a day, and for ceremonial purposes, was quite a treat. 

BK

With extras on Saturday, no BP scheduled for Sunday and a final day that matters only to the Vegas crowd, there isn't much by way of big stories to report.  There will be plenty of time to start with the postmortems on the '07 season -- something we'll kick off this week -- but for the Blue the process began today.  Or at least the process of talking about it.  Grady Little, Ned Colletti and Frank McCourt all met with the media before the game.  It's the same group that will lead the Dodgers into next season (McCourt confirmed that both Little and Colletti will return in '08) and will be entrusted to figure out what went wrong this year, and more important, to channel their inner handymen and fix it. 

The big theme of the day?  Disappointment.  Good to know they agree with the fans on this one.   

Just as he reported yesterday, there ain't jack going on before a game these days.  I mean, nada.  Nothing particularly interesting to talk about.  Nothing particularly intriguing to analyze (I think you can figure out on your own why Delywn Young is in the lineup).  Zip in the way of material.  Save a few guys  scattered around the clubhouse signing a bunch of pics and gear (which is every bit as enthralling as it sounds), there would have been nothing for me to watch except for the USC-Washington game on the picture box.   And even that wasn't all that fun for this blogging Trojan alum, since USC is playing like dookie right now (as I type this sentence, John David Booty threw a "pick-six").  14-14.  Of course, Washington is universally recognized as a powerhouse, what with their 2-2 record and all.

(When the time comes to kick off a totally meaningless three game, season capping series between the fourth and fifth place teams in a division, the term "important news" in relation to ballpark scuttlebutt becomes an extremely relative term.  Bear that in mind as you read what follows.)

Given the lineup changes we've seen over the last ten days or so, unusual sights on the field are always a little more intriguing.  Consider the motley crew (as opposed to the Motley Crue) taking grounders at short during B.P.  You had your Chin-Lung Hu. No surprise there.  Ramon Martinez.  Makes sense.  Nomar Garciaparra.  Retro is in.  Why not?  From there, it gets more interesting.  Luis Gonzalez?  Well, he played some third base back in the day, remember?  Mike Lieberthal?  He's probably got the freshest legs on the team.  But my personal favorite was Takashi Saito.  Much to the delight of his teammates, Saito, while able to pick it reasonably well, seemed to struggle with the throw.  He bounced a couple, threw wide once or twice, and generally found it difficult to get the ball to Mike Sweeney at first on a line.

"He was throwing sliders," Sweeney laughed. 

We've officially reached the point in the season where covering the games feels like being a seventh-grader at the middle-school mixer.  Everyone stands awkwardly, not sure what to say (all the good questions have been used up at this point), and the conversation is forced.  And that's just in the dugout, talking to Grady.  In the clubhouse, it's all crickets and tumbleweeds.  I don't know if they have cameras in there, but if ever there was a good time to rifle through a guy's wallet, that would have been it.  There weren't enough guys in uniform to bust you.  There was a little more loitering at the end of media availability, but at least initially we outnumbered the guys in uniform. 

It'll pick up on Sunday during the Annual Media/Player Indian Leg Wrestling Tournament.  That's always an event.  I know I've been training.* 

No, you get out of town, because it's true. 

Not surprisingly, said squabbles were a topic Grady Little was asked about plenty before today's game.  At the risk of stating the abundantly obvious, I've listened to Little speak a lot over the last couple seasons.  Typically, he's pretty laid back, often even on the heels of a couple losses.  Not that the poor outcomes don't faze him.  He's just tends to maintain a pretty even keel (publicly, if nothing else).  And during those times when a losing streak visibly eats at him, he tends to come off more "frustrated" than "on edge."  But today's pre-game was among the few times Grady's mood has ever struck me as "tense."  The observation could be nothing more than me playing armchair shrink, but I got the sense that the Hatfield-McCoy atmosphere has worn on him, in large part because he's truly disappointed to see such reactions surface. 

Whenever I see Ron Howard, I always think of a hilarious SNL sketch where Eddie Murphy's character is interviewing the now-Oscar-winning director and keeps referring to him as "Little Opie Cunningham."   That sequence was running through my head a lot this morning because Howard dropped by the clubhouse before the game and kicked it with some of the fellas.  The SoCal native was showing around British actor Michael Sheen, who's starring in Howard's adaptation of the play "Frost/Nixon," with Sheen reprising his role from the Broadway production.  It sounded like this was Sheen's first time at Dodger Stadium, but I overheard him say he caught some Mets action in New York, so he's likely familiar with the game.  Sheen and Howard will be watching the game in a box belonging to some actor named Hanks. 

Never heard of him.

One of the little quirks of baseball- and professional sports in general, is that very ofen as games get more important (fair to say at this point, they're all big for the Blue) there's actually less to talk about.  No matter what you ask, it basically comes down to "We have to win."  Add to that a locker room emptier than a screening of Glitter- this despite the fact that with September call ups, the Dodger clubhouse has a population density that rivals Singapore- and you'll understand why I had time to conduct the following experiment.

Players have access to two big tubs of gum- Bazooka regular and Bazooka sugarless.  At least as far as baseball associated gum products go, I'm a Big League Chew man myself, but that's neither here nor there.  It's not uncommon for media types to grab a piece here and there (I know, free gum!).  Heretofore I had always taken the old fashioned wax paper wrapped version, complete with sugar.  But tonight, the shiny wrapped sugarless version caught my eye.  After all, when you're dead and gone, grave robbers will judge you by the quality of your teeth.

Unfortunately, that's what you people have been saddled with. 

Tonight at the Ravine, 44 year old David Wells will take the mound for the Blue against 41 year old Greg Maddux. Put 'em together, and it's a staggering 85 years worth of pitchers trotting, even if slowly, out to the hill.  That's 595 dog years.  In Maddux, we're talking about a guy who broke into the bigs in 1986, at age 20.  (Interestingly, his first appearance on a Major League field was as a pinch runner, not a pitcher.  Who knew?)  In Wells, we're talking about a guy who could remember where he was on November 22, 1963 when Kennedy was assassinated.  Granted, he was six months old at the time so uncovering said memory would likely require a hypnotist, but still, that's going back a ways.  A pairing with this much mileage may not happen often, but it adds an interesting wrinkle to a monumental game for the Blue.  Win, and they're a mere 1.5 games behind San Diego for the Wild Card.  Lose, and it's back to 3.5, with a crowd in between them and the prize.

And while they may be old, Maddux and Wells are also still dealing.  Maddux, in particular, has been red hot lately.  No walks in his last 54.1 innings.  After a July 13th start in Arizona, his ERA was 4.35.  Now it's 3.68.  A 2.43 August and 2.19 September will do that.  Wells, for his part, has won two of three starts as a Dodger.  Ugly wins, maybe (usually smoke = fire. With Wells, smoke = mirrors), but wins.    

The big -- only, really -- news before today's game was the announcement that the Blue have claimed former A's (and Nationals, Yankees, White Sox, Blue Jays, Rangers and Pirates) right-hander Esteban Loaiza off waivers.  No players changing hands.  Oakland is content to let the Dodgers pick up the mil or so owed Loaiza this season and the $6.5 he'll get in '08.  Given the paucity of quality pitchers that will be available this winter and the goony-bird economics of modern sports, it's not a bad move for L.A.  Pricey, but not bad.  Anytime all something costs is money (as opposed to players), there's an upside, and I think the last two seasons have taught everyone that you can't have too many arms.

Loaiza, who will join the team Friday in San Diego and likely start Tuesday in Chicago, is very capable of being very good.  He's also equally capable of imploding.  Hence the career 4.60 ERA.  But his last two starts (Loaiza's only of the season) in O-Town have been very good, and he's likely an upgrade over Eric Stults down the stretch.  Hey, it's not my money, right?

Not just a candy chew enjoyed by millions of children and adults alike worldwide.  It's also a philosophy currently employed the Dodgers powers that be, signifying how they're both trying to win games right this very second (a perfectly logical plan, since they're in a tight wild card race) and also trying to create a foundation for wins down the road.  "We're trying to win the game tonight and at the same time, we're thinking about the future," admitted Little.  While the Dodger skip conceded that he's often balancing on a tight rope when it comes to trying to meet both goals, he also assured me that the recipe for balance includes many a similar ingredient no matter which side you're thinking about.  "It's real close and that makes it somewhat easier."  Little's also never felt forced to shortchange the future by tailoring the lineup to appease a "present" player, or vice versa.  Bottom line, whomever Little has picked to bat in spots one through eight, "that's a good lineup.  That's the best lineup that gives us a chance to win the game that night." 

 

Earlier this season, BK reported how the All-Star closer gave him a pair of his toe-glove socks.  Well, when it comes to handing out goodies, both to folks he knows well and total randoms (like, say, BK and me), Saito's a pretty generous fella.  While I hung out in the clubhouse before Grady Little talked to us writerly folk, Saito surprised team travel manager Scott Akasaki (who doubles as Sammy's interpreter) with a blue Dodgers glove, featuring an "Akasaki" stitched by the thumb in Japanese characters.  Akaskai was pretty stoked by the mitt, gladly accepting a fist bump from an obviously pleased Saito.  "Nice," said the closer with an ear-to-ear grin. 

About 10 minutes later, Saito was walking around handing out Japanese pastries to players and media members.  Seems a fan from Sendai, Saito's hometown, mailed him a care package.  I shared one with another Times writer, and I gotta say, pretty good stuff.  Sponge cake outside with a citrus-orange custard inside.  Kind of an exotic Twinkie, but not too sugary or sweet.  If you happen to be in Sendai looking to satisfy a dessert fix, I'd recommend giving them a whirl.  From what I was told, various cities in Japan are known for their specific sweets and these put Sendai on the map, so it'll probably be relatively easy to find them.  Tell them AK from Blue Notes sent you.  The delightfully confused look you'll receive in return is worth the price of the pastry you won't be getting for free. 

Since we've all seen the lose-a-demoralizing-amount-of-games-then-rip-off-a-massive-win-streak act before (or have you forgotten last season already?), it's tempting to believe the Blue are on their way to a repeat act right now.  They're already taken care of the losing part, and now having won three in a row looked primed to make a run.   As the always sage-like Jeff Kent pointed out, we'll ask why the team seems dead in the water, "the you wait a couple days and it's "Why? Why?" on the good side."  True enough.  With the bulk of their games against the teams they're chasing in the West and the Wild Card, the Dodgers don't have much choice but to rip off an '06esque string of excellence.  With that in mind, Brad Penny volunteered to pitch tomorrow on three days rest.  "We're running out of time, you know?" he said.  "I feel good enough to pitch and make a difference.  I'm going to go out there and try to make pitches and treat it like a regular start.  Whatever part I can do to help the team I'm going to go out and do." Download brad_penny_8.18 on Sunday start.mp3    

Eggplants.  Flowers.  About three-quarters of Prince's wardrobe.  The flag of Tokyo Prefecture.  Grimace.

Matt Kemp's right knee. 

His collision with the right field wall on Wednesday left Kemp limping noticeably during last night's game, and as he walked through the clubhouse today I noticed that the knee, like AK after a particularly robust workout, is all swolled up.  Kemp told me he was fine, but Grady Little is going to hold him out of the lineup tonight.  "He's available, but we're going to give it a day or so.  It doesn't bother him, he says, but it sure is ugly," Little said.  "We feel like he'll be back in there either tomorrow or Sunday for sure.   He says he can play, but we're going to wait a day or two."  Sounds like he'll be fine in a jiffy.  Good thing, too, since this is an important series to say the least.      

Most teams have various forms of entertainment squirreled away around the clubhouse.  The Dodgers, having what can only be described as, at least relative to the rest of baseball, ancient facilities, are no exception.  Guys might watch TV or listen to music.  They also have at their disposal one of those old school video game machines that includes the classic "Track and Field".  Anyone who grew up as an arcade rat (or with a Nintendo) likely remembers it well.  Russell Martin (specializes in the hammer throw) spends a lot of time on it, along with Billingsley and Broxton.  I asked Martin who was the T&F king.  "Lieberthal and Martinez are the best," he replied.  Makes sense.  Old school game, old school players.  Lieberthal acknowledged his prowess.  Nobody on the team runs faster, he said, moving the index and middle fingers of his right hand rapidly up and down (if you've played the game, you know why that matters).  "Quick twitch."  Still, in Track and Field as in baseball, it's hard to stay on top forever.  The young 'uns, Lieberthal says, "are catching up because they play so much." 

As we finished up the pregame confab this afternoon, one of the crack media members- we see everything- noticed two lonely cloves of garlic under the Dodgers bench.  One peeled, one unpeeled, both whole, with the skin of the peeled clove sitting a little further down the pine.   Not sure if this is someone's idea of a good luck charm or the efforts of a player, coach, or team staffer particularly concerned about vampires.  Grady didn't have any explanation, but given their current woes, can you blame the Blue for protecting themselves against all possible worst case scenarios?  (By the way, at this point the opportunity to make cheap vampire-related jokes at the team's expense- they only feed on the living, they've sucked the offense out of the Dodgers already, etc.- are apparent, but I'm going to hold off.) 

Setting questions of the sharp-toothed, blood-drinking, sun haters aside for the moment, I can report that the needle has buried on the frustration-o-meter.  There was more than a little grumbling inside the clubhouse when the notebook toting vultures (that would be us) asked Mark Sweeney about his gaffe last night that ended the game.

Of course, dude needed a gig, so latching on with a squad slumping worse than Amy Winehouse after a night of horse tranquilizer eatin' might not be the turnoff it would be to, say, Derek Jeter.  Frankly, if you asked Hillenbrand a few years back if he thought his two-time All-Star self would be in a position to desire employment in mid-August, he would have likely answered with a head shake.  But baseball, like life, ain't the most predictable of beasts.  "You'd like to think that's not going to happen," admitted Hillenbrand of his recent bounce around the league.  "But you really don't focus on that.  You just focus on the opportunities that you have and try to take advantage of every opportunity that's given to you.  It's been different, my outlook on baseball.  My expectations are a lot different.  Right now, it's playing today for "today." 

So imagine my disappointment when, after fighting traffic across the country (okay, from Fountain and Fairfax to Dodger Stadium) all the way to Wally World (okay, the Dodgers' clubhouse) I arrive to find that it was closed.  Closed!  I was tempted to drive to the nearest sporting goods store to buy a BB gun, but held off.  Turns out Grady Little had called a meeting with the troops.  While he was not exactly forthcoming with a full transcript or anything like that, Little said the gist was to remind the players that everybody needs to do their job, not worry about singlehandedly pulling the Blue out of their funk.  "I think in a lot of ways that may be what makes something like this last longer," he said.  "Everybody trying to be that one person when it's going to take everyone doing their little part, not one person saying "Jump on my shoulders, here we go."  Everybody's got to do their part."

Not a fire and brimstone, channel your inner Lou Piniella type deal.  More a "baseball chapel," as he put it.  A reminder that it's a game, and they just have to go play.  He said he's given more speeches than he'd hoped coming out of spring training, but "I thought it was necessary.  It was just telling the truth (to the players).  It's the type of meeting I'm not really fond of giving on a night when we're facing a guy like Roy Oswalt, but we needed to talk about some things." 

So did it work?  "Only time will tell that."

... Nor reporter standing, not when it comes his quest to find the key to halting the Dodgers' current skid.  The way these pre-game meetings with the media typically work is that we all stand in a semi-circle asking Grady Little questions while he lounges comfortably on the dugout bench.  And hey, why not?  Little's the manager.  It's his dugout.  Membership has its privileges.  But Little's searching for answers during this rough period, so as he strolled over towards us, he asked us all to take a seat.  Receiving nothing but a bunch of confused stares, Little said he was serious and to sit.  For a second, I thought maybe some of us were getting sent to Triple-A Vegas (which, given my proclivity for the card tables, wouldn't be the worst thing in the world).  But then Little explained that "we gotta change something," which inspired him to flip the script.  The scribes grabbed some wood, while Little remained on his feet for the Q&A. 

An effective approach?  We'll find out after the bottom of the 9th.  Creative approach?  Hey, I didn't see it coming.  That's gotta count for something.  Comfortable approach?  You're damn skippy!  I could seriously get used to this set up.  I'm not sure if Grady's one of those superstitious fellas who doesn't shave during a win streak or whatever.  But if so, I'm all about the Dodgers bring home 53 straight victories.  Nothing motivates yours truly like the opportunity for approved laziness.     

Kid's getting his first ever Major League start and, as one might expect, he's rather geeked at the chance.  "It's like Christmas," said Young with a big ol' grin.  He had no idea today's lineup card would contain his name, the sight of his #49 prompting him to do a quadruple take.  Only one problem.  He still hasn't come up with the proper introduction ditty for when he takes the plate.  He's kicking around "Flashlight" by Parliament, which I think would be a killer choice.  Hard not to get happy when that bass line's kicking.  And as Young pointed out, it oft provides one the visual of 70s roller skaters.  And who, I ask, doesn't dig 70s roller skaters?  Anyone raising their hand is a freakin' liar.  But he's not totally sold on the George Clinton classic, so if you have any ideas, be sure to post them and I'll pass them along.  I'd like to help steer Young in the right direction because as everyone knows, I take at-bat music very seriously.  Some would say too seriously, but I maintain there's more than one way to analyze baseball.

If the Dodgers end up missing the playoffs, backing their way in, or do anything else in a manner one might consider "just getting by," I'd point the finger squarely in Grady Little's direction.  The amount of slacker tendencies he's willing to let slide is simply unacceptable for a squad with championship aspirations.  Take for example his thoughts on Jeff Kent, who's being held out from his third straight game with a hammy strain.  "Jeff is getting better," reassured Little.  "It's a day to day thing.  We're gonna make sure it's at a point where he won't make it worse when he does come back."  The timing of Kent's injury was certainly unfortunate, considering he was putting the final touches on a smoking .447 July batting average.  But any concerns one might have about Kent falling out of a rhythm upon his return aren't shared by his manager.  "I doubt he can do that every month."

Well, not with that attitude, Skip.  Might as well start calling him "Jeff Can't" while you're at it.  Just because nobody ever maintains a .447 average doesn't mean you shouldn't demand it, anyway.  Little's follow up statement was an equal display of accepting the sub-par.

"If he falls 20 or 30 points, that'll be fine."

Unbelievable.  You'd be cool with a scant .417 clip?  I tell ya, the way today's athlete is coddled never ceases to amaze me.  To quote our current president (no stranger himself when it comes to under performing), "the soft bigotry of low expectations."

But he does like Brad Penny, for whatever that's worth to Dodgers fans.  Actually, he had a lot of nice words about the 13-game (and hopefully counting) winner.  "I've got a lot of respect for Penny.  We're friends.  He's a hell of a pitcher.  When you have the record that he does.  To go up against good pitchers, they're going to do their jobs.  I love the guy.  I've always liked since day one that he's been in the league.  I've had a lot of good times and competitions (against him)."  Bonds also threw some props Joe Beimel's way when asked about facing the lefty.  "I like to go up against anybody difficult."  He didn't, however, delve into his opinion of D.J. Houlton.

Also, if you're trying to get into a certain left fielder's head by dishing your worst smack talk, don't bother.  He doesn't hear the razzin' nor does it bother him.  His only concern regarding rude yap is "when kids are around."  Especially considering his daughter "already had her own breakdown" after being privvy to some heavy heckling.  She's "fine now," but was "very, very" upset hearing her dad receieve so much abuse.  But otherwise, Bonds all about freedom of speech (if not power of the press).  "(The fans) paid their money.  Say what you want to say." 

Sorry for the late report, but as you might suspect, it's a freakin' zoo at the Ravine tonight.  I'm telling you, I'll know I've not led a clean life when after it's over, I'm reincarnated as an AP reporter assigned to a Groundhog Day-esque reenactment of the Barry Bonds home run chase.  It must be horrible.  It's like watching a flock of birds at the park.  Barry moves, everyone flutters to see what he's done.  Barry might talk, everyone circles around to see what he might say.  I'm not being critical.  If this were Black and Orange instead of Blue Notes, I'd be doing the same thing.  I'm just thankful it's not.

Oddly enough, on the way out here, I heard a report on the radio that Barry wasn't going to start.  Turned out not to be true.  Good thing, since that would have led to a lot of people standing around wondering what to do.   Between the Barry Parade and the trading deadline, it's been a busy day, one I'd love to tell you about...

But the players were in demand on this here Autograph Day, so there wasn't a ton of action before the game.  But I did gather a few nuggets from Grady Little.

Should things get nutty with the pitching staff this afternoon, there's a chance either Mark Hendrickson or Derek Lowe could work out of the pen, which would obviously mess with the rotation that Little projected yesterday for the Monday-Wednesday series in Houston (Bills, Hendrickson, Lowe).  He envisions Brad Penny starting the first game of the series following in Colorado, but obviously can't say for sure, given the topsy-turvy conditions he's currently weathering.  And he definitely can't predict anything beyond that.

If Little gets "five good, strong innings" from Eric Stults today, he'll consider that a more than productive outing.

Mind-boggling as it may sound, this isn't the first time that Little's dealt with such a taxed pitching staff.  Thus, it's easier to understand how he can take comfort knowing that "you get through these periods," cliched as it may sound.

 

OK, that might be a little strong, since Grady Little is indeed talking to us media types.  But when it comes to the issue of which pitchers are available on a daily basis (a topic where Little's already gone the cryptic route), Little is now remaining decidedly mum.  "That's something we're not going to talk about before the game anymore.  There's really no need.  Why do you need to know?"  Initially, Little sounded somewhat vexed by the inquiry (and I can't say I blame him, since reemphasizing for the umpteenth time how thin your staff's grown is likely fun along the lines of anesthesia-free root canal surgery), but he went on to explain the practical aspect of keeping info close to the vest.  "A lot of times, it can become beneficial to the other team when they know these things."  So does that mean Takashi Saito isn't ready, asked a reporter who apparently wasn't listening or didn't take Little at his word.  "We'll see" and a shrug was all the writer received.

Taking a hint, I opted not to ask about the availablity of Jason Schmidt. 

Asked how he felt about Roberto Hernandez's scoreless Dodger debut Thursday night -- about the only positive anyone could draw for the pitching staff after a game so awful it made small children cry and killed off a bit of every Dodger fan's soul -- Grady Little was understandably amorous.  "Any time you have a game like that game was going last night, any pitcher that goes out there and puts a zero on the board for the other team, I felt it's an instant love affair." 

Given how things have gone, it's fair to say the guy hasn't been in love much these days.  "There's a lot of love-hate relationships in baseball," Little said, smiling.  But seriously folks, "There's no doubt in my mind that if we continue to swing the bats like we are and score runs like we're scoring, we're going to win a lot of games we score nine runs in.  Take my word.  Last night was just not one of those nights."

I mean, when you get a chance to talk pro wrestling- especially what I call The Golden Age, with Roddy Piper, Big John Studd, Andre the Giant, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, Paul Orndorff, etc.- with Rudy Seanez before the game, you take it, right?  The man knows him some wrasslin', too.  There was even talk of George "The Animal" Steele and (one of my personal favorites) The MIssing Link (parts unknown, weight unknown). 

And by the way, in case you were wondering, he said Jonathan Broxton would probably be the toughest to eliminate in a clubhouse battle royal.  Not necessarily based on pure strength- though Brox ain't exactly a pushover- but because he's so damn big it would take perhaps a triple team and a couple steel chairs to take him out.  Only Mark Hendrickson has the reach to get his arms around him, and Seanez, no insult intended, wondered if the lefty has the upper body strength to get it done.  Then we talked a little guitar, and of the marketing genius of Gene Simmons. 

All in all, it was a full day. 

Then prepare to scream like a 12-year-old girl who received an advanced copy of "High School Musical 2," because your man is in the house.  To make room for the venerable (and by venerable I mean old) hurler, the Dodgers sent Tony Abreu back to Vegas.  Hernandez is just arriving from Sin City after spending some time at home after being released by the Indians.  Although Hernandez admits he was getting used to kicking it at home, the competitive itch (and his wife's desire to get him out of the house) prompted him to find work with another club.  He's also determined not to do too much while on the mound, a desire that got the best of him in Cleveland.

Which is more than the Atlanta Falcons can say, and they've barely been around the block, relatively speaking.  And for one of those canine-friendly Dodgers, it's a big night.  I'm talking about Mike Lieberthal, who will be making one of his Halley's Comet/socially-responsible-decision-from-Lindsay Lohan rare starts tonight against his former mates.  (Clearly, Grady Little is trying to keep the guy fresh for October, even if it means running Russell Martin into the ground.)  At this point, his lack of playing time -- tonight will be his 10th start of the season -- has become a running joke in the clubhouse.  The last time he started, Lieberthal's teammates decorated his locker with balloons and flowers in mock celebration.  Little made it clear that Martin won't be out of the lineup often, so tonight, when a shoddier version of the same treatment appeared at Lieberthal's locker, Little questioned whether or not his teammates were being a little stingy.  "I think (the balloon) was left over.  It was a little deflated," he said. "What I'm trying to say is whoever's buying those balloons and stuff in there for him, they're not going to go broke if they do it every single game he starts the rest of the way.  So they don't really need to reuse them; they can get new ones each time and still feel plenty financially secure."      

So while it's always exciting when big news breaks- perhaps a gigantic trade, a hiring or firing, an overturned laundry cart, clubhouse fight, or infestation of feral cats- I'm almost happy to report that it's business as usual at Dodger Stadium tonight.  I'm not quite back in game shape yet, and don't think I could have handled it.  Initially, I thought I had uncovered the big scoop of new chairs in the Dodgers clubhouse, but it turns out those arrived during the last homestand while I was out of town.  They're swank, but not news (and really, their news value before wasn't exactly earth shattering to begin with).  I can report a happy ending to Joe Beimel's phone saga.  The lefty is a proud owner of a new iPhone.  Fair to say that the pair have really hit it off and spent some quality time together since he picked it up before the trip north.  While sitting at his locker, phone in hand, (I believe) Randy Wolf saw him and cracked, "The wedding is in August."  Beimel shrugged.  "I can't really argue." 

It seems to have been a love-at-first-sight kind of thing.  Beimel said he even watched a few tutorials before it arrived, just so he could work it better.  I asked if iPhone was as cool as the commercial made it look.  "Oh yeah," he said.  You feel cool using it, and it's easy to operate.   "We had the weekend to spend some time together," he smile.  "Me and phone." 

I wasn't able to get to the park until about five minutes before media access ended, so I don't have a ton of stuff to throw your way (although I doubt there'd be a plethura of gossip had I arrived at 6 a.m., considering not much has changed since last night's game).  But there's one bit of info to share.  Ramon Martinez has been activated and tossed into today's starting lineup.  Martinez is giving Jeff Kent the break he was supposed to get yesterday, but lost out on when Tony Abreu's lower right abdominal strain forced the vet back into action.  The ailment will keep Abreu on the bench and unavailable today.  Martinez wearing a Dodger uni again during games meant D.J. Houlton had to give his back.  The pitcher's short stay didn't end on a high note (except for Todd Linden, of course), but at least he supplied a few good innings before heading back to Vegas.

OK, that may overstate how badly the Dodgers are hurting for healthy starter arms, although Grady Little did joke about how they're "keeping a close eye on Loney," since the young first baseman nearly signed as a pitcher -- and he's left-handed.  But all kidding aside, Little still doesn't know who'll be taking the hill to kick things off tomorrow afternoon.  It'll end up dictated in large part by how tonight's game goes, but in theory "Mark Hendrickson's got a lot of bullets in him.  He's a candidate for tomorrow.  As is (Eric) Stults.  As is (D.J.) Houlton,"  Little said. But at least with Sunday being a gateway into the All-Star break, Little's imagining he'll be able to run through his pen if need be without too much fear.  "I don't think we'll be asking the starter, whoever it is, depending on how he's been working the last few days, for a lot."  Then again, Little's not looking to blow out his collective arms, so he'd like to avoid heavy pen hurling tonight and tomorrow. 

But either way, Randy Wolf was stoked to have dropped by the doctor's office because the results of his shoulder MRI very much fell into the "positive" category.  "It was definitely good news, because everything looked good except for the inflammation of the acromion, which is what they thought was causing the problem," he said.  In addition to the not-so-serious hypothesis proving dead-on, the doctor and radiologist delivered Wolf some additional happy news.  "(They) were surprised how good my shoulder looked after my ninth season in the big leagues.  That was something that even surprised me, because you kind of don't know.  You throw a lot of pitches and get those aches and pains, so you don't know what it looks like." 

"He's had a good steady season in Triple-A the last couple of years.  He has one year of experience with the Dodgers.  And we feel like he can give us some help in the bullpen.  He has the ability to jump in and start games, also."

Not the most exciting of statements, but Grady Little is probably (and justifiably) too tired after last night's marathon match to come up with anything flowery.  And the statement doesn't help frame the most exciting of news, either.  But considering it's barely 12 hours removed from the last time the Dodgers and Padres squared off, were you expecting some earth-shattering bomb to drop?  In any event, Little plans on using the newest Dodger primarily as a long man and would have thrown Houlton into the fire if needed during last night's extra-innings bonanza, but didn't think that was an ideal situation for a dude who got off a plane from Vegas at 8:15 that night and hasn't thrown in the Majors for a while.   But from here on out, he'll be aping the services previously provided by Mark Hendrickson, who's back in the rotation for a Wednesday start. 

Or more accurately, dudes who get al